“Manor Lakes, a suburb with a story newer than you might think,” I venture, beginning our exploration of this Melbourne locale. Manor Lakes is 33 km south-west of Melbourne’s Central Business District. We stand in a place that was officially gazetted as its own suburb only in March 2016.
Before that, Manor Lakes was part of Wyndham Vale. In 2021, the census recorded a population of 12,675 residents in Manor Lakes.
But the history of this land goes back much further. The Wathaurong people lived here for over 25,000 years before European colonization. They knew the Werribee Plains as Iramoo. Werribee itself is derived from an Indigenous word for the river.
European explorers, Hume and Hovell, arrived in 1824. Surveyor John Helder Wedge included the area in land obtained by John Batman in 1835. The treaty, however, was later deemed invalid.
Early maps described the area around Manor Lakes as “Fine Open Plains”. The area’s potential for farming was quickly realized. Sheep grazing became a lucrative venture.
Scottish immigrants, the Chirnside family, became major landowners. By 1875, they owned 250,000 acres throughout Victoria. This included Werribee Park. Thomas Chirnside’s holdings included the 20,000-acre estate, Lollypop. Interestingly, Manor Lakes now stands on part of this former estate.
The village of Wyndham developed as a convenient stop. It was along the road from Geelong to Melbourne. A train line was established in 1857. In 1884, Wyndham was renamed Werribee.
Later, the area shifted from pastoralism to crop farming. After World War I, returned servicemen took up land nearby. Immigrants from Italy established market gardens in the 1920s.
In the 1970s, increased housing development occurred. Werribee became a Metropolitan Growth Area. The City of Wyndham grows rapidly.
The Manor Lakes we see today began as a housing estate in 1994. It has since grown into a planned community. It features schools, a shopping centre, and a train station. The train station connects Manor Lakes to Melbourne.
In 2002, the Manor Lakes community officially launched. Acknowledging this ongoing journey of discovery, we celebrate its 20th anniversary. About half the land slated for development remains to be built on. The suburb will expand further east and south. So, while Manor Lakes may seem new, its roots run deep, interwoven with Indigenous history, colonial settlement, and the dreams of a growing community.